Never Better
by ReadingRed
Summary: Six years after Brooke and Lucas find one another again the Scott family is living the perfect life... for now. What happens when tragedy strikes this family? Will they ever be the same? Sequel to "Too Bad"
1. Water Works

Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill

Title: Never Better

Author: ReadingRed

Chapter One: Water Works

It was a typical day in the Scott house. A child yelling, one crying, a few laughing, and if the parents were lucky, one or two sleeping.

Logan, the oldest of the Scott children at eight years of age, was screaming down the hallway that it wasn't fair that her cousin Jamie had a cell phone when she did not.

Seven year old Brennan was crying, holding his skinned knee to his chest and waiting for his mom to come and kiss it and make it feel better.

Six year old twins, Liam and Bryce, were laughing hysterically at their father who was trying in vain to fix the leaky pipe underneath the sink.

Four year old Levi was sleeping on the sofa in front of the TV, having found cartoon's much too boring to stay awake for. The youngest Scott, ten month old Bailey Peyton, was sleeping as well, curled up on the floor, holding fast to a purple monkey.

Brooke Scott smiled to herself as she took in all the sounds that greeted her as she entered the house. Even Logan's yelling was a welcomed sound after the day she had had. Brennan saw her as she came in the door and he raced to be the first to reach her.

The seven year old crashed into her side and looked up at her with his big eyes that were mirror images of her own. "Mama, I'm so glad you're back. Logan won't stop yelling and Daddy broke the sink, and I hurt my knee!" Brennan told her at an incredibly fast pace.

Brooke smiled down at his and lifted him into her arms. She twisted the boy so he was cradled with one of her arms around his back and the other under his knees. She bent her head and gave both knees a quick peck. "Better?" she asked.

"Yep!" he answered happily. Brooke set him back down on his feet and Brennan ran off. He was getting too big for her to pick up, Brooke thought to herself sadly. Her first little boy was growing up, and Brooke wasn't sure she was ready for it.

"Wait! Did you say Daddy broke the sink?" she yelled after Brennan. The little boy stopped in his tracks and turned around to face her.

"Yep! He broke it. Water was spilling out everywhere, all over the kitchen floor. He's trying to fix it but… I think he should stick to writing" Brennan said with a smile, showing off his recent understanding of sarcasm.

Brooke hurried to the kitchen and found Lucas lying on the floor, his head and shoulders underneath the sink, trying in vain to fix the broken sink. Her twin boys were splashing in the small puddles that had formed on the tile floor of their kitchen.

"Hey Broody, what's going on?" Brooke questioned as she leaned on the counter top watching her husband work. Lucas sat up at the sound of her voice and hit his head on the underside of the sink.

"Damn it!" he cursed, sending both boys into hysterical laughter. Lucas slid out from under the sink and shot the laughing boys a look, before speaking to his wife.

"Brooke… you're home" he said walking towards her. His shirt was soaking wet making it cling to his body in just the right way. Looking at her husband, Brooke could understand why men would watch wet t-shirt contests.

"I sure am" answered him. "You know, you could just call a plumber right?"

"Ah, but if I did that you wouldn't get to come home to this" Luke said with a smile, motioning to his body with a wave of his hand.

"In that case… thanks" Brooke said with a grin. A mischievous grin took hold of Luke's face as he stepped even closer to Brooke. All of a sudden Luke's arms shot out and wrapped around Brooke, pulling her into his sopping wet chest.

"Lucas! Let go!" Brooke said, pushing against his chest as she squirmed in his arms, trying to distance herself from the water.

Luke held on even tighter and leaned down for a kiss. Brooke responded in kind, and she stopped struggling to leave his embrace. Their romantic kiss was ended by an "oh gross" from Logan as she entered the kitchen to see her parents.

Luke let Brooke go and she now reluctantly left his arms. "Hey baby girl" Brooke said with a smile to her oldest child.

Logan immediately took on a sad demeanor and rushed into her mother's arms. Brooke looked at Luke startled. Luke just shrugged, silently communicating that he didn't know what was going on either.

"Mama" Logan sad through her tears. "Daddy won't let me get a cell phone."

Brooke had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. Her daughter was the oddest mix of herself and Luke. At one moment Logan would be a complete tom boy, playing basketball with her brothers or cousin, and then in the next moment she would be the most dramatic child you've ever met.

"Oh, you poor thing" Brooke said as she stroked her daughters hair. "I don't know what your daddy was thinking, not giving you everything you want."

Logan seemed to realize then, that Brooke was united with Lucas on this matter and she left her mothers' arms.

"No cell phone?" she asked.

"No cell phone" Brooke answered.

Logan shrugged as if she knew that would be the answer and left the kitchen, calling out to her brother as she did.

"Brennan, let's go play ball. You need the practice" Logan's voice said as it carried through the large house.

"She's been on about the cell phone since they got off the bus this afternoon" Luke informed her. Brooke nodded her understanding.

"Hey Luke" she said looking up at her husband.

"Yeah Pretty Girl?" Luke asked.

"Call a plumber"

"You got it" he replied with a smile.

**AN: review please, they make my day. I made a video for Too Bad and added in a little from this story if you guys want to take a look. Here's the link. **

http:/www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=6OzconxQK28


	2. Basketball

Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill

Title: Never Better

Author: ReadingRed

Chapter Two: Basketball

"Moooooooom! Tell Levi to leave me ALONE!" Logan screamed down the hall. She pushed her little brother out of her room and slammed the door. Levi fell to the ground and started to cry. Normally Levi was the quietest out of all of the Scott children but not at this moment.

Levi pushed himself up to his feet and the four year old raced down the hallway to find his father, screaming the entire time.

"Daddy! Logan pushed me! Tell her to be nice!" Levi shouted through his tears.

Lucas picked Levi up and settled the four year old on his hip. "Logan, come here. Now!" Luke yelled up the stairs to his daughter's bedroom. The footfalls of his oldest came quickly down the hall.

Logan was only eight years old, but it seemed like she had forgotten that fact and was getting a head start on her teenage rebellion.

"Yes Daddy?" Logan asked, the picture of innocence.

"What did you do to make Levi cry?"

"I just pushed him, just a little push, a tap really, to get him out of my room. Mommy wouldn't make him leave" Logan justified.

"Logan, your mom's not here right now. She's at the store" Lucas pointed out.

"Oh" Logan said quietly.

"Even if your mom was here, do you think you need to push your brother?" Lucas asked gently.

"No" Logan replied.

"Why didn't you want him in your room?"

"I don't know, I just didn't" Logan said, tears springing to her eyes.

Lucas set Levi down on his feet and pulled Logan into a hug. "I know you're upset now, but I need you to understand that what you did wasn't right. You should not push your brothers or your sister."

Logan nodded and wiped the tears off her face. "I'm sorry Levi. I won't do it again" Logan said, breaking out of her dad's hug and pulling the younger boy into a tight embrace.

Lucas had to hide his smile. Logan might act like the stereotypical teenager at times, but deep down she was still the same girl she'd always been.

"Now I want you two to go get ready. We're going to the River Court."

"Yes!" the two children shouted before high-fiving and racing up the stairs to their bedroom's.

"Brennan, Liam, Bryce, get ready. We're going to the River Court in five minutes" Luke yelled up the stairs to his other children before heading to his own bedroom, the only one that was downstairs.

When he entered the master bedroom he went immediately to the pink crib on the left side of the bed. "Hey baby girl. You ready to go to the River Court?" he asked pulling his youngest child into his arms.

"Da da da da da" Bailey babbled. Lucas liked to pretend that she was saying 'dada' but considering she made the same sound for everything from her bottle to the neighbor's dog, he wasn't able to convince anyone else.

"I'll take that as a yes" he said as they moved from the crib to the changing table, picking up a change of clothes on the way.

Luke sat Bailey on top of the white changing table and slipped off her pajamas with the skill acquired after having six kids.

"And guess what color it is today?" Luke asked unnecessarily. Brooke seemed determined to keep her little girl in pink. After having four boys in a row she seemed to want the world to know that there was now, finally, another little Scott girl.

Luke slipped the pink sundress on over the baby's head and slid the grey leggings up and just like that the ten month old was dressed without any fuss.

"Levi, Liam, Bryce, Logan, Brennan" Luke rattled off the names of his older children. "Are you all ready to go?" he asked unnecessarily. All five children were waiting by the door, basketballs in hand.

"Alright then, let's go" he said with a smile.

The kids raced out the front door and piled into the SUV with only a few scuffles. Logan helped Levi buckle his seat belt while Lucas secured Bailey in her carseat.

The ride to the River Court went smoothly and when Luke pulled into the grass next to the Court the kids cheered. Logan was the first out of the door; she had rolled over the middle row and narrowly missed kicking Liam in the face when she landed on him. The rest of the Scott kids were out of the SUV in seconds, excluding Bailey that is.

"Jamie!" Logan shouted when she saw her cousin and uncle already on the basketball court.

"Logan!" the nine year old yelled as he raced toward her. Jamie crashed into Logan, knocking both of them to the ground in a fit of giggles. It was the same way Logan and Jamie had greeted each other since they were four and five, respectively.

"Hey little brother" Luke said to Nathan as he and the other children reached the court. Nathan nodded and reached out his free hand to shake his brother's outstretched hand.

"How're you?" Luke asked, directing his question to Nathan's youngest. Two year old Matthew Royal grinned in his dad's arms and murmured "good."

"Haley and Sam decided not to come?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah, Sam's not feeling all that great so Haley decided it would be best for them to just stay home" Nathan explained.

"That's too bad. I hope Sam feels better soon" Luke said.

"Dad! Stop talking so we can hurry up and play!" Brennan yelled from underneath the basketball hoop.

"Well you heard the man, let's play some basketball!"

**AN: Sorry for the long wait. I'm a junior in college and it's midterm time :/ **

**Vote: Do you want Nathan and Haley's three year old, Sam, to be a boy or a girl? Review and let me know if Sam should be Samuel David or Samantha Davis… Wow, I just realized that if it's a girl it will be after Sam. I don't really want to change the name though, and I'll call him/her Sam most of the time anyway… Well back on topic, let me know if you want it to be a boy or a girl. **


	3. Nose Bleeds

Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill

Title: Never Better

Author: ReadingRed

Chapter Three: Nose Bleeds

"Daddy over here! I'm open!" Brennan yelled waving his arms in the air.

Luke smiled and tossed the basketball to his oldest son and watched the boy dribble it down the court before tossing it through the hoop, much to the delight of his team mates.

Nathan and Lucas had spilt the cousins into two teams Lucas, Logan, Bryce, and Levi on one team and Nathan, Jamie, Brennan, Liam, and Matthew on the other. Lucas keeping a constant eye on Bailey where she sat in her pack 'n play on the side of the court, holding her stuffed basketball.

Levi chased after the ball as it bounced away after its fall through the hoop. He finally caught up with the ball and tossed it back to the court. The ball sailed through the air in a perfect arc before hitting the ground and bouncing back into the air before slamming into Liam's nose.

The six year old's pain filled shriek pierced the air as he dropped to his knees, pressing both hands to his face. Lucas raced over to his son and slid to his knees in front of the child. Already a group of concerned family was crowding around the little boy.

"Liam" Lucas said as he tried to pull the boys hands away from his face. "Liam, move your hands buddy. Come on, let Daddy see."

Lucas pulled Liam onto his lap sideways so the boy's right side was against his chest. He gently pulled at Liam's hands, trying to see the injury. Already blood was seeping through Liam's fingers and dripping down onto his jersey. Finally Liam moved his hands and let his dad get a good look at his face.

"Daddy, it hurts" Liam said through the tears.

"I know buddy, I know. You'll be okay. It's not broken." Lucas slipped off his outer shirt and balled it up before handing it to his son. "Here, hold this against your nose. It'll help stop the bleeding."

Liam nodded and did as he was told; tears streaming down his cheeks the entire time.

"Liam, I'm sorry" Levi said, crying almost as much as his older brother. Levi knelt down next to Lucas and Liam and tried to catch his brother's gaze. "I'm really sorry."

Liam nodded his acceptance and Levi grinned. Every took that as the cue to say their well wishes to Liam and after they all told him how strong he was being, and that he'd be okay, the crowd dispersed.

Lucas stood with Liam in his arms and started walking back to the car. "Guys, I think it's about time we head on home. Grab your basketballs and say goodbye to your cousins."

They'd been at the River Court for a few hours and it was about time to go home any way.

"Okay, Daddy" Logan said before herding her younger siblings around the court to find all their equipment. Lucas opened the car door and slid Liam into his booster seat. "I have to go get Bailey and her pack 'n play. Will you be okay for a minute?" he asked Liam as he brushed the sweaty hair off the little boy's forehead. Liam nodded and Lucas smiled. He left the car door open, just in case Liam needed anything and raced across the court to where he'd set up the playpen.

"Hey baby gi…." He said as he neared the playpen. They words died on his lips when he looked over the side of the playpen and saw that his daughter was gone.


	4. Bailey

Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill

Title: Never Better

Author: ReadingRed

Chapter Four: Bailey

"Bailey!" Lucas screamed his daughters name into the air. He swiveled around and when he caught sight of his brother he yelled. "Nathan, where's Bailey? Do you have her?"

Luke watched his brothers face go ashen. "I don't have her Lucas."

Lucas pulled his cell out of his pocket and typed in 911. "Damn it!" He yelled as his call was put on hold. Who the hell thought it would be a good idea to have a hold option on 911. Lucas continued searching the River Court, holding the cell tight to his ear.

Oh god, what if Bailey got out of her play pin and crawled to the water? Lucas ran to the bank and looked for any sign that his baby had gotten near the water. He didn't see anything. Lucas let a breath he'd been holding just as the 911 operator finally picked up the line.

"Police operator 1886, what is your emergency?" a calm voiced asked from the other end of the phone.

"My daughter, she's gone!" Lucas yelled as he ran back toward his brother and other children.

"Sir, what do you mean she's gone?"

"She was in her play pin and when I went to get her, she wasn't there. She was just gone. Please send someone, anyone. She's ten months old, she can't even walk yet!"

"Ok sir, where were you when she went missing?"

"The River Court, 1 Battleship Rd. It just happened, I mean, it couldn't have even been ten minutes ago, please, hurry.

"Daddy? What's wrong? What's wrong Daddy?" Logan pulled on his arm.

Lucas shook her hand off and tried to focus on what the 911 operator was saying.

"Daddy?" He could hear the question in Logan's voice but some part of him wouldn't let him respond. His youngest was in danger and his mind couldn't think of anything else.

"Yes sir, the police are on their way. It won't be long, there's already a unit in that area."

"Make sure they hurry please."

He stayed on the line with 911 until he could hear the siren of the first police car. "They're here, thank you" Luke said before he hung up the phone. He stopped his frantic searching when the cruiser pulled in to the small parking lot. He looked back toward his brother, and saw that all his children were out of the car and huddled near their cousins, confusion at their father's antics plain on their faces.

Lucas hurried over to the two police officers who climbed out of the vehicle.

"You the father?" the male officer asked. He was a talled red haired man, blue eyes shown with concern as he stopped in front of Lucas.

"Yes" normally talkative Luke couldn't seem to say anything more.

"Do you have a picture of the baby? The sooner we can get it out to the media the better" the second police officer asked. She was an equally tall woman, black hair shining in the sun, reminding him a bit of Brooke.

Luke fumbled through his wallet, barely glancing at the pictures of his other children. He came to the last picture, the one of his youngest child and gently pulled it out of the plastic sleeve. "Here" he said as he handed it to the officer. "That's Bailey. She's ten months old. Like I told the officer, she can't even walk yet, she can't talk, she needs us. She needs you to find her. Please, find my daughter."

The woman took the photo from Lucas, and snapped a shot of it with her phone, Lucas presumed it was to text a copy to whomever it was that could release it to the media.

"Are they your family? Where they here when Bailey went missing?" the male officer asked.

"Yes! Yes, they were here too, we were playing basketball and my son got hurt. I promise I was watching Bailey the entire time, but when Liam was hurt I had to help him, and then we decided to leave I went to go get Bailey and she was gone. It couldn't have even been ten minutes, I mean; it probably wasn't even five minutes" Lucas said this all as he and the cops walked toward the rest of his family.

"We understand sir" the female officer said.

Logan broke out of Nathan hold and raced across the court to her father.

"Daddy!" She yelled as she jumped into Lucas's arms. Something broke inside of him at that moment. This was his daughter too, she needed him too.

His arms wrapped around her and pulled her closer to him. Lucas pressed his nose into her hair and breathed in her familiar scent. She must have used Brooke's shampoo, a part of him notice, her hair smelled exactly like her mother's… Oh no. Brooke.

How was he supposed to tell the mother of his children that he had lost one of them?

He arms slackened and he let Logan slide gently down until her small feet hit the cement. He took her hand and tried to catch a breath.

"Luke, I've looked everywhere. She's not here" Nathan said.

"Daddy where's Bailey? Brennan asked.

"I don't know Bud" Lucas answered. "Logan, I need you stay with Uncle Nathan for a minute, I'm going to call your mom."

Luke looked to Nathan for confirmation that he would watch the kids and then to the cops to ask for permission. After receiving nods from all three adults Luke took a deep breath and walked a few paces away from the group.

He hands shook as he scrolled to Brooke's name in his contact list. She answered on the third ring.

"Hey, husband. I got your note about going to the River Court. How's the game? Did your children beat you yet again?" Brooke's happy rasp brought tears to his eyes. He hated the words he was going to have to say.

"Brooke, I need you to call Haley and ask her to give you a ride to the River Court. It's not good babe. Bailey… Bailey's missing."


	5. Not to Blame

Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill

Title: Never Better

Author: ReadingRed

Chapter Five: Not to Blame

Brooke let the phone drop to the floor. Her baby, her sweet baby girl was gone? How could that be possible? This is Tree Hill for Pete's sake. Children don't just go missing in Tree Hill. Brooke sank to her knees and let out a mournful wail. "Bailey!"

She could hear Luke's voice coming through the phone, it sounded so far away as if it wasn't real. All that was real was her pain and the knowledge that her baby was gone.

No! Not gone just… misplaced. They would find her. She would get her baby back.

Brooke picked up the phone and pushed the end button, ignoring her husband's voice. She rose to her feet and brushed her clothes off. She couldn't fall apart. Her baby needed her to be strong.

Disregarding Lucas's instruction to call Haley for a ride to the River Court, Brooke grabbed her keys from the hook by the door and raced out of her house and down the steps to her SUV.

Her drive to the River Court seemed to crawl by, but in reality it was the fastest she had ever driven there before. Brooke drove onto the grass surrounding the basketball court and stopped only when coming any closer might endanger her other children.

She hopped out of the car and walked to the police officers grouped around her husband.

Brooke pushed past the officers and stopped in front of the father of her children.

"Broo…" Luke started before his words were cut off by the resounding sound of a slap to the face filled the air.

"How dare you lose our child. She's an infant! What the hell were you doing that was more important than her? Playing fucking basketball? Really Lucas? Was it worth it? This fucking game? Was it worth losing our baby?" She punctuated each question with a hit to his chest.

Lucas was stunned. He'd known that she would be upset, but he hadn't truly considered that she would blame him. He pulled her into his arms and placed a kiss to her head. "Brooke," he whispered into her hair. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry." Her punches finally stopped and Brooke seemed to melt into him, losing all strength to stand. He held her tighter and continued. "I thought she was safe. I would never put her in danger." Brooke nodded. She knew it was true. No one on earth loved her children more than Luke, except herself.

Brooke took and deep breath in and pulled out of Luke's arms. She turned and looked at the police officers.

"What are you doing to find my baby?" She asked, her normally scratchy voice sounding rougher than ever due to her tears.

"We've put out an Amber Alert on Bailey and we're in the process of setting up road blocks on every road in and out of Tree Hill. We're doing everything we can to get her back. The best thing you and your family can do right now is go home and wait for the kidnapper to call."

Brooke's throat tightened when she heard those words. It wasn't that Bailey was just gone. Someone had taken her.

"Momma!" Liam's voice carried across the basketball court. She turned to look at him and saw Nathan struggling to keep all the children on the far side of the court. Brooke opened her arms wide and Nathan took the cue. He let go of Liam's hand and set Levi down on his own feet. Logan was off and running first, the oldest girl leading the way for her siblings. Brennan, Liam, Levi, and Bryce were running right behind her. Brooke felt tear prickle in her eye. She still had children to take care of; she had to be strong for them too. Bailey would be back soon and until then she needed to make sure her other children were cared for.

Logan slammed into Brooke's body, forcing the woman to take a step back or lose her balance. The eight year old had tears streaming down her face and her little arms were wrapped around Brooke's waist. "Shhh, baby, everything's going to be okay. Bailey will be back soon." Brooke tried her best to comfort her oldest but before she could say much more her boys reached her.

"Mama!" the boys shouted as one. Liam and Bryce went to either side of Logan and hugged Brooke's waist. Levi on the other hand stood behind them and raised his arms in the air asking to be held. The four year old hadn't displayed that trait in a while, preferring to walk rather than be carried.

"Mama, Bailey's gone!" "We were just playing basketball and then she wasn't there." "Mama, it's my fault!" The boys' chatter got louder and louder until Liam's proclamation. Silence rained as all faces turned to look at the six year old.

"What do you mean, son?" The male police officer asked, bending down to look Liam in the eye.

"I got hurt when we was playing basketball. Everybody was watching me instead of baby Bailey and nows she's gone. She wouldn't be gone if I didn't get hurt." Liam was crying heavily now and Brooke pulled him into her arms. She settled him on her hip, holding him like she had when he was younger.

"Liam, I want you to look at me now." Brooke waited for her son to lift his eyes to hers. When he did, she continued. "This is not your fault, it's not your daddy's fault, it's not Uncle Nathan's fault, it's not Logan's fault, and it's not either of your brothers' fault. Only once person decided to take Bailey and that person alone is the one responsible. If they hadn't have made that decision, she would still be here and you guys would still be playing basketball. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, Momma," Liam said as he rested his head to lay on her shoulder.

Brooke turned to look at the cops. "Do you need anything more from us here, or can we go home? The kids shouldn't have to wait around here. They need distractions."

The officers nodded. "No, of course. You all may go home. We'll follow you back there and, if it's alright with you, we'll set up a wire tap and leave a officer there with you, just in case the kidnapper makes contact" the female officer said.

Brooke turned to Lucas and said, "let's go home."

**A/N: Well guys, I have a question for you. I have good plot lines to go with each, but I want to know how you feel about both options. My question is this, how long should Bailey be away? Short term- as in days or weeks, or long term- as in a couple years? I think both options could make for a really interesting story. Let me know how you feel in a review. Oh and Happy 4****th**** to those of you in the States. **


	6. Months Away

Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill

Title: Never Better

Author: ReadingRed

Chapter Six: Months Away

Two months had gone by since Bailey had been taken from the River Court and the Scott's weren't the same without her. Logan had taken to acting out at school, talking back to her teachers and picking on other students. The school administrators tried to be understanding of her situation but there was only so much they could ignore without giving her consequences. Logan had been suspended twice already.

Brennan had stopped talking to anyone other than immediate family. He wouldn't even talk to Nathan or Hailey. Lucas had tried everything to get his little boy to open up and nothing had worked. The seven year old remained silent.

Liam and Bryce seemed to be the least affected of all the Scott children. The two little boys went about their days carrying on as if nothing had changed. It was only in the quiet moments that it could be seen how much they been traumatized by the kidnapping of their younger sister. Liam and Bryce cried themselves to sleep nearly every night, their sorrow for their missing sister evident in their tears.

Levi had regressed emotionally. His personality had changed so much in the two months since his little sister had been gone; he was hardly the same child. Levi refused to be out of his parent's presence. He clung to his mother or father and would cry inconsolably if he was forced to be separated from them. Brooke and Lucas had removed him from his preschool and had taken to bringing him to work with them.

Brooke had become devoted to the cause of finding her lost daughter. She used every resource she had to get the word out about her missing baby. Because of her celebrity status the media was all over the case, keeping Bailey in the news and the public aware of the situation. It was the first and only time Brooke was thankful for the media's presence in her life. She took every request for interviews, whether on TV or in print, as long as she knew they would devote the interview to finding Bailey. Despite airing the missing child report, and showing pictures of Bailey on national TV, there had been no promising leads. The lack of evidence was beginning to wear on Brooke; the need to have her youngest back in her arms was beginning to crush her spirit.

Lucas had stopped going to the high school to coach, preferring instead to spend time taking care of the children he had left. He would talk about Bailey to them constantly, trying to keep her alive in their minds. His worst fear was that they would begin to think of her as dead. Luke encouraged the children to write letters to the baby, which they would then place in her crib. They ranged from the simple request that she "Come back soon" to heartbreakingly desperate pleas for her to stay safe and not forget about those who love her so dearly. He began to write with a ferocity never seen before. He would pour his feelings into a book about his little baby. Luke's memoir of the lives of those left behind would most likely never be seen by anyone in the general public, but it kept him sane to write.

It also kept his marriage intact. Just as letters had been an important part of their relationship as teenagers, so too this book became important to Brooke and Lucas' relationship. Luke would write and Brooke would read. Through this book, Brooke was able to see inside Luke's head and understand the way he viewed this tragedy, and the book served as a way for Luke to share his feelings without being misunderstood.

"It's been two months since young Bailey Peyton Scott was taken from her family during a basketball game at a local park. There have since been to leads as to the child's whereabouts. Here, today, we have Bailey's parents, Lucas and Brooke, as well as her siblings. Welcome, Scott family" the news anchor said with a sad smile as she looked at Brooke and Luke.

"Thanks for having us," Brooke said, her smile not showing her famous dimples. "We're always glad for the opportunity to spread the word about Bailey."

The Scotts were seated on a couch in the middle of the news studio. Liam and Bryce were sitting on one end of the couch followed by Brooke who had Levi perched on her lap, then Luke, Brennan, and finally Logan.

"Now, we understand that Bailey's birthday is just two days away. Is that right?"

A tear dropped from Brooke's eye at the thought of her baby spending her first birthday with her kidnapper instead of her family. Seeing his wife unable to answer, Luke stepped in to field the question.

"Yes, that's correct. Bailey will turn a year old in two days. We're hoping that whoever has her will understand how important it is for her to spend that day with her family, and that he or she will bring Bailey back to us." Luke looked directly into the camera and spoke to the person who had taken his baby. He struggled not to curse and scream at the person responsible for so much pain. He knew that would get him nowhere. "Please, we know that you've taken good care of her. We know that you don't want to hurt her. We just want Bailey back home. Her brothers and sister want her home. This is where she belongs."

Luke couldn't manage to say anymore, he slipped his hand into Brookes and squeezed it gently needed the support that only a wife could give a husband. He looked to the news anchor, a blond woman in her 30s and hoped she would understand that he needed her to do some talking.

"At our house on birthdays, we get to play games all day! Mama makes us pancakes that Daddy says are better than his mamas', only I've had Grammies pancakes and they are wayyy better than Mama's. We get to each lunch on a bed sheet on the living room floor and watch movies. Last year, I got to watch three Land Before Time movies! I don't think baby Bailey would like Land Before Time, cuz she's a girl. After we watch the movies we get to go swimmin' in the pool, only this time we'd get to go the YMCA and swim, not in our pool at home, because it's too cold to swim outside in November. And then for supper we get to eat whatever we want. I know Bailey is gonna pick green beans and chicken cuz those are her very favorite foods. And then for bedtime, we get to read as many books as we want, or get Daddy to tell us stories til we fall asleep. I always choose for Daddy to tell me stories on my birthday, cuz he tells the very best stories. I think Bailey's gonna pick that too, cuz I remember than Daddy used to hold her and rock her to sleep all the time before she went away. I know she really likes that. Birthdays are the best at my house, and we all want Bailey to come home and get to do all the birthday stuff with us, cuz this is her very first birthday and it wouldn't be fair to have to miss a birthday like we do them at Daddy's house."

"Logan, Liam, and Bryce and me all had to miss a few of these kind of birthdays cuz we lived with Mama, and our other dad, but he wasn't very nice and we never got to do fun stuff for our birthdays. Now that we're Scotts we get to have good birthdays and Bailey needs to have a good first birthday, cuz the first one should be the best" Brennan finally stopped talking and slouched back onto the sofa between Logan and his father. Luke and Brooke, as well as the other children stared at Brennan in amazement. The child hadn't spoken a word since his sister was missing and now, in front of a national audience he wouldn't stop talking.

Brooke wiped the tears out of her eyes and shared a happy smile with her oldest son. She was so happy to hear his voice again, it made this day a little better.

"Well, that certainly does sound like a fantastic way to celebrate a birthday now doesn't it? We here at NBC, certainly do hope that Bailey comes back in time to share her first birthday will her family."

**AN: I'm still up in the air about how long to keep Bailey away from home. I think it would work equally well either way. Please leave your suggestion in a comment, as well as why you think it should be that way. The best argument will decide where the story goes from here, as well as receive the credit for the decision which I will attribute to whoever has the most persuasive comment. **


	7. Just a Little Unwell

Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill

Title: Never Better

Author: ReadingRed

Chapter Seven: Just a Little Unwell

Bailey's birthday came and passed without her presence in the Scott house. Her parents and siblings placed her gifts in her crib were they would wait until she returned. It hadn't seemed right to celebrate the girl's birth without her, but Brooke and Luke decided that their children needed that reminder that their sister was still alive, and would someday come back.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Her kidnapper had driven by the Scott house that day. Even he wasn't sure why. Was is to see the lives so affected by his action? To see a family in mourning? To see if they had moved on with their lives? Any one of those would have been a reasonable enough reason to visit, in the mind of the sociopath, and yet, none of them really fit.

If he were honest with himself, he would know that it was because he was lonely. He took Bailey because he wanted what they seemed to have. He wanted that close bond that only came with family. He hadn't gotten it. For days after he first took her, Bailey cried inconsolably. He was afraid the neighbors would hear her screams, but somehow they had gone unnoticed. Nothing he did made any difference, the child knew he wasn't family, and she seemed determined to make life difficult for him.

So like her mother, he thought derisively. It had gotten easier after about a week. She no longer cried. In fact, she didn't do much of anything. He hadn't thought it possible for a child her age to become depressed but that was what she seemed like. She wouldn't eat, she barely slept, and she almost never moved. It was as if she were comatose. More than the non-stop crying, that silence almost motivated him to take her back to her family. Finally, after about a month and a half after he took her she seemed to forget about her family. She began to play and smile. He still hadn't heard her laugh, but that was alright. He knew eventually she would come to love him, and he would finally, finally, have the family he wanted.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

"Mama!" Levi's voice echoed down the hall and into the master bedroom. Luke laughed and pressed a kiss to Brooke's shoulder.

"You've been summoned," Lucas said with a grin.

"Mmm, I'm tired. Tell him… tell him" Brooke yawned before shutting her eyes again and falling back asleep.

Luke smiled and slid out from underneath his wife, careful not to wake her, and left the room to find his son.

Levi had only recently started sleeping in his own bed again and most nights he would wander into their room in the wee hours of the morning. This morning, however, he had slept on his own all the way through the night.

When Lucas reached his door, the farthest bedroom down the hall, he peeked in to see Levi laying calmly on top of the covers examining a Star Wars action figure. He walked over to his sons bed and sat on the edge.

"Hey buddy, Mama's still sleeping. You ready to get up?" Luke asked cheerfully, trying his best to keep the weariness out of his voice.

"Yeah! Hey Daddy, guess what?" Levi sat up with a grin, throwing his skinny arms around Luke's neck.

"What?" Luke asked enthusiastically, happy that at last his youngest son was showing some signs of his old self.

"Bailey's coming home soon! I know it! She'll be back today Daddy."

Luke looked at the sincere expression on his four year olds face and he couldn't bear to tell him that his sister probably wasn't going to come back today.

"I hope so buddy. It would be great to have Bailey back today. But if that doesn't happen, it doesn't mean she's never coming back. Right? You know that right? We must not ever give up hope, even if it takes a while for her to get here."

"I know that Daddy, but it doesn't matter. Bailey's coming back today," Levi grinned.

"Alright. Now how about we go wake up that Mama of yours?"

"Yay!" Levi exclaimed as Luke picked him up and stood to leave the room.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

She's blue! How can she be that blue and still be breathing?

It didn't make any sense to him. When he had put the baby to bed the night before she had been fine, and now her skin had a distinctly blue hue.

He knew Lucas had heart problems but surely he and Brooke would have had their children checked for the genetic disorder. He would have known if the baby had HCM too.

He wrapped the baby in the warmest blanket he could find and hoped that her color would return, that this would all be nothing more serious than a temperature issue.

After an hour though she still wasn't looking any better, in fact, she seemed more lethargic than ever. He knew he couldn't wait any longer, she needed help and he was going to make sure she got it.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Luke dropped his son on the foot of his bed and watched, smiling as the four year old crawled across the mattress and pounced on Brooke.

"Omph! Levi!" Brooke screaked with a laugh.

As Mama Brooke turned into the tickle monster to take revenge on Levi for the wakeup call, Luke left to wake up his older children. Family breakfast seemed like just what the doctor ordered.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

He put the baby in the backseat and made sure she was properly buckled, and the note describing her condition was secured to her blanket, before racing the driver's seat and starting the engine.

The drive to the emergency room took longer than he would have expected and he hoped that he made it in time. He shouldn't have wasted so much time, hoping that she would get better on her own!

He pulled up to the ambulances' entrance and threw the car into park. He jumped out and pushed open his door and pulled open the back seat door in one fluid motion. Now he was very glad he had sprung for the car seat with the quick release base, he popped the car seat off the holder and gently sat it, with Bailey tucked inside, on the ground about a foot away from his SUV.

With a silent prayer someone would see her soon; he got into his vehicle and drove away.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

The Scott family, minus one member, was sitting around the dining table laughing and enjoying their family breakfast, the first they had really had since Bailey was taken, when the phone rang.

As the shrill tone pierced the air, all other noise in the kitchen silenced. Lucas was the first to the phone, Levi's prediction going round and round in the back of his head. Brooke dashed from the table to the phone just behind Luke and stood close by as he answered the call.

"Hello, Scott residence, this is Lucas speaking," he rattled off quickly.

"Yes Mr. Scott. This is Dr. Rosenthol at St. Thomas Hospital in Wilmington. We think we have your daughter. Please, you need to get here quickly. She's not well."


	8. She's Back

Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill

Title: Never Better

Author: ReadingRed

Chapter Eight: She's Back

When the baby had been found in the ambulance bay, the EMT rushed her inside and handed her off to a nurse, who upon seeing her color, called immediately for a doctor.

The not pinned to her blanket had simply read, "Bailey Scott, HCM" but it was enough information for that doctor to order a heart echo to be done on the infant, and for a call to be placed to the Scott house.

When the heart echo, and then the MRI had both confirmed that the baby did indeed have HCM, the doctor ordered that an operation room be opened as soon as possible. Now that the baby was in the hospital, her HCM was still serious, but a very manageable disorder.

Normally HCM can be controlled with medication but seeing as the child had not been on any, and that she had been under extreme stress for months, he heart was not fairing as well as would be expected for a child her age.

When an OR opened up, Bailey was prepped and ready for surgery to clear a blocked passage in her heart. As no family was present, none was needed for consent to operate and the doctors started the procedure.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

"They've got her! She's at the hospital in Wilmington," Lucas relayed to Brooke.

All at once the kids rushed from the table to the front door. Jackets were left on their hooks; shoes were left abandoned by the door, as the Scotts tore out of their home and into their car.

The drive from Tree Hill to Wilmington took a quarter of the time mapquest would say was nessisary. Lucas broke half a dozen traffic laws as he drove to the hospital.

"Haley, it's Brooke. We've found her! She's in Wilmington, at St. Thomas'." Brooke paused to let Haley speak. She wiped away the tears from her face, only to have them be replaced with new ones. "No, no we haven't seen her yet. We're almost to the hospital now. Before you come, will you drop by the house and pick up clothes for her? And her Wuvey, it should be in her crib in our room. Oh, and coats and shoes for the kids too? We kinda forgot them when we got the call."

"Alright, thanks. We'll see you at the hospital." Brooke smiled, a real Brooke Davis smile, dimples and all for the first time in months, and turned back to look at her older children. "Aunt Haley says she loves you munchkins." She held out the phone after turning on speaker phone mode, yells of "Love you Aunt Haley" filled the air, just as Brooke knew they would.

"Bye Haley," Brooke ended the call.

Luke reached out his hand and grasped Brooke's. "We're getting Bailey back. Finally, our baby is coming home."

Brooke brought his hand up to her lips and pressed a gentle kiss to the back of his hand. Words weren't necessary, and as they got closer to the hospital they became fewer and fewer. It was as if everyone were afraid that if they were to speak the moment would be broken and they would waken to find it had all just been a dream.

Luke pulled into a no parking zone and stopped the car. What did he care if the car were towed? His baby was inside and damn if anything were doing to make him even a minute later in reaching her.

Brooke and Lucas both jumped out of the car and opened the doors on either side to let out their children, glad that all of them could now both buckle and unbuckle themselves.

"Alright, the doors are right there, hold hands and please, for the love of Pete, don't act like hooligan's when we go inside. This is a hospital; people are here because someone they love is hurt." Luke helped Levi and Liam climb out from the back seat, while most of the children chose to go out Brooke's door.

He swung Levi up into his arms and took Liam's hand. As one the family entered the hospital and walked straight to the greeters desk.

"Please, my name is Lucas Scott. My baby Bailey is here somewhere. Dr. Rosenthol called me to say you all have her."

The candy stripper behind the desk gave him a blank stare and turned up the volume on her iPod.

Brooke let out an audible growl before letting go of Bryce's hand and yanking the ear bud from the teens' ear.

"Listen, my baby has been missing for months! I don't care how good you think Simple Plan is, or how pissed you are that you have to do your community service hours here. But you WILL get on this computer, and you WILL tell me where my baby is!"

"Go mom!" Logan shouted before high-fiving Brennan.

The teen raised an eyebrow but kept her mouth shut and started typing.

"Bailey Scott, room 473, pediatric recovery," the teen said motioning her hand towards a bank of elevators.

Brennan and Logan were the first ones there and they pushed the button to call the elevator. The 30 seconds it took to arrive dragged on for hours, only eclipsed by the minute long ride to the 4th floor. As they exited the elevator, Luke saw the arrow for the pediatric recovery ward and they dashed off following the red arrows to the nurses' station.

"Daddy, Mama! Room 4. 7. 3. It's right here!" Bryce stopped in his tracks and pointed to the sign next to a wooden door.

Bryce pushed open the door and the family entered the brightly lit room. Ignoring the call from one of the nurses to "wait there" the family slowly made their way to the too big bed in the center of the room. Their hurry to get to Bailey forgotten, as the trepidation of what they might see hit all at once.

Lying on the bed, covered by a soft pink blanket, was Bailey Scott.


	9. Finally a Family

Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill

Title: Never Better

Author: ReadingRed

Chapter Nine: Finally a Family

For days after she had been found, Bailey was silent. Brooke had expected to see her happy, grinning baby girl when the child woke up and first saw her family, but that wasn't quite what happened. Brooke and Luke were there with her, the other children were in the hospitals' cafeteria with Nathan and Haley, when Bailey woke up.

The normally bubbly baby was solemn and merely stared at her mother and father.

"Hey baby girl, Mama's so glad to have you back" Brooke rasped out through her tears. Luke took her hand and reached out with his other hand to stroke Bailey's leg. "We missed you so much little one."

"Do you think we can pick her up Lucas?" Brooke asked, desperation shinning in her wet eyes.

"I think that's just what she needs. We'll just need to be careful of her incision." Brooke smiled and let go of Bailey's arm so that Luke could lift the baby and place her in her mother's arms.

Bailey was silent as her father lifted her out of hospital crib and laid her in Brooke's arms. The moment her body came in contact with her mothers, the baby smiled as if she finally realized she was home. Brooke grinned an identical smile, the resemblance between mother and daughter clear.

"Hey baby girl, did you know that me and daddy looked for you every day? We never forgot about you, we never stopped loving you. Not even for a minute. And now you're back with us. We'll find out who took you and we'll make sure that he can never touch you again."

When Brooke said that, her eyes flicked to Lucas' as a terrible thought entered both of their minds. Luke stood and ruggedly combed a hand through his hair, the stress showing itself in one of Luke's biggest tells. What had the kidnapper done to Bailey?

Brooke's eyes roved over Bailey, searching for anything that might indicate abuse.

She was small, much smaller than any of her siblings had been at a year old. She didn't seem any bigger than she had been when she was first taken. Brooke knew that her small size could be attributed to genetics, some children are just smaller than others, but in this case, it was probably because she hadn't been well feed in her time with the kidnapper.

She had a few small bruises but Brooke told herself those were probably cause by the surgery Bailey had just undergone.

Brooke looked up at Lucas and slowly shook her head, communicating to him that she didn't think the kidnapper had done anything to physically harm their baby. Luke let out a deep breath, and she could see the relief fill his eyes.

"I'm going to call Nate, the kids should come see Bailey for a bit. After that, I think it would be best if he and Haley took them to their house. It's probably not good for Bailey to get too excited." Luke paused and looked into Brooke's eyes,

"Brooke, I'm so sorry. After Levi, after he escaped the HCM gene, I never… I never thought that Bailey might have it. It's my fault that she's here. It's my fault she's hurt."

Brooke's heart broke for her husbands' pain. "Lucas, you know there's nothing that you could have gone to keep her from getting HCM. It just happens. To have prevented that from happening, to take away the HCM, would be to change a part of who Bailey is and I wouldn't do that for anything in the world, and Luke, I don't think you would either. Besides, you and I both know the test probably wouldn't have shown anything out of the ordinary if we did it before she was a year old. The only reason it affected her this early was because of the stress of being kidnapped." Brooke watched her words soothe the man in front of her.

"Lucas, I love you, Bailey loves you, and our other kids love you. You have nothing to feel guilty about. Now go call Nathan and tell him to get our other babies up here." Brooke smiled and Luke stepped out into the hall to call his brother.

After a week of recuperating in the hospital, Bailey was home with her family. The kids had adjusted well to having the baby back in the house. One of the first things they had done was ask when they could have Bailey's birthday celebration.

That idea caught on and soon Brooke was in full party planning mode, inviting everyone who loved Bailey to come to a birthday celebration/welcome home party for the one year old. They decided to have the party a week later, in order to give them a full week of just being a family before they let others into their little world. Yet they knew that they weren't the only ones who had missed Bailey, the entire community had banded together to get the girl home and they deserved to know that she was home and safe.

The day of the party Haley and Nathan, along with their children, Jamie, Sam, and Matthew, had come over early to help prepare the house for the party. Pink and green streamers had been strung randomly around the house; balloons had been inflated and, after quite a few were popped, placed strategically out of reach of many little hands.

After a few hours of prepping, the first guests arrived.

"I'll get it! I'll get it!" Logan yelled as she dashed down the stairs.

"No! Wait for…" Brooke shouted, trying in vain to get her oldest to wait for an adult to open the door with her.

Logan threw open the door, and upon seeing the visitor, let out a squeal before jumping into the man's arms.

"Uncle Mouth!" She yelled into the man's ear as she latched her arms around his neck. She twisted her head to the other side and yelled back into the house, "Mama! It's Uncle Mouth and Aunt Milli, and baby Mitchell!" Logan twisted her body, indicating her wish to be set down. Logan took Mouth's hand in one hand, and grabbed Millicent's arm in the other, "come on! Come see Bailey, she's finally home."

Logan led the McFadden's out into the fenced back yard where Lucas, Nathan and all the kids were playing.

The doorbell rang again and this time Brennan, along with Brooke, went to answer the door. "Why if it isn't Mr. and Mrs. Jagielski, and the little Jagielski's!" Brooke pulled Peyton into a tight hug, both woman happy to see each other. Brooke whispered, "I'm glad you're here," before letting Peyton go.

"This is my oldest boy, Brennan," she said, placing a gentle hand on her sons head. "The other kids are in the back yard playing." Brooke smiled at Peyton and her family.

"Now, Jenny, you are getting entirely too big. I remember when your daddy used to bring you to basketball practice; you were barely bigger than the ball itself. And Jayden! Wow, you've shot up, I think you've gotta be taller than Liam and Bryce by now. And this last one, I've never seen in person. Johnathan Jagielski, what a handsome boy you are. Clearly you take after your godmother. What are we doing standing around the door way? Brennan, show Jenny and Jayden where everybody else is, and Peyton, hand me my godson."

Peyton laughed and handed her son to her best friend, the tiny child snuggling into the woman's arms as if he had known her forever.

"Same old Brooke," Jake said pressing a friendly kiss to Brooke's forehead as he entered Brooke's home. "I'm so glad you all have Bailey back."

"Speaking of the girl of honor, why don't you come see her? She's in the back with Luke, we're still kind paranoid. We've been keeping all the kids in the fenced in back yard with Lucas and Nathan, while Haley and I, and some of the older kids, have been tasked with answering the door." Brooke explained as she led the way through the house, still carrying little Johnathan.

Jake let out a whistle when he first saw the back yard. Brooke saw his eyes roam over the deck, pool, and play equipment. "And I thought the house was nice."

Brooke laughed off the comment, and motioned with her head to Lucas and Nathan, "The guys are over here."

"Jake! Peyton! I'm glad you guys could make it," Luke said as he stood with Bailey in his arms.

"Like we would miss an opportunity to spend time with my two namesakes," Peyton grinned taking the little girl into her arms.

"Yeah, you do know we didn't name them after you, right?" Luke joked, receiving as playful backhand to the belly, from Peyton, in return.

"Whatever, Bailey Peyton? Peyton? And Logan Elizabeth? I know they're named after me, just give it up Luke, Brooke likes me better. How many of your kids have Eugene as a middle name? huh? Oh yeah, zero."

"Well in my defense, and so my husbands' fragile ego isn't damaged any more, Liam, Levi, and Logan all have his initials. Logan Elizabeth, Liam Elliot, Levi Ethan. It's not Lucas's fault his mom gave him an… unusual middle name."

"Gee, thanks Brooke. I don't see us naming any of the kids Penelope either." Luke joked.

"No, you're right, we've both got names that I would prefer we not to use on any of our kids. Besides, I've already got Bailey Peyton, Bryce Parker, and Brennan Perry who share my initials."

"Alright, alright, enough name talk. It's beginning to make me want another one, and we only just had Johnny."

The doorbell rang again, "I'll get it," Haley yelled from inside the house.

"Lucas!" Lily came running out of the house a moment later, and wrapped her arms around her big brothers waist.

"Tiger Lily! I didn't know you all were coming!" He pulled Lily up into his arms, saddened that she was nearly too big to fit comfortably. His sister had grown up halfway around the world, only coming back to visit a few times a year. She nuzzled into his shoulder and squeezed him tight. It was like this every time they saw each other, both sibling trying to make up for lost time. Reluctantly Luke set his sister down on her feet.

"Want to see your niece? You haven't seen her in a while."

Lily nodded enthusiastically and Peyton brought Bailey over.

"Woah big brother, she looks like you. She's got your eyes and your hair." Lily reached out to touch the infant's downy hair. Bailey smiled, showing off her dimples, and Lily let out a giggle. "Nope, I take that back, she's all Brooke."

"Traitor" Luke teased under his breath, sending his much younger sister into fits of giggles.

The doorbell rang again, this time Peyton volunteered to get it. A minute later her yell came echoing out of the house and into the backyard. "Luke! Come here please!"

Luke sent a look to Brooke and she immediately walked over and gently took Bailey from Lily's arms. Both Scott's glanced around the large yard, taking a mental count of the children, assuring that all of their children, as well as their nephews and friends children were all present.

When they confirmed that all the children were present, Luke who was joined by Nathan, left the back yard to see what had scared Peyton so much.

As they neared the front door, they could see that Peyton had positioned herself so that her body was completely covering the small opening she had left in the door. Luke wasn't sure if it was to prevent someone from seeing into the house, or to keep someone from entering the house.

Peyton looked back when she heard their footsteps. "Thank God," she mouthed. When they got closer Peyton whispered, "It's Dan, I'm sorry, I didn't know what to do. I didn't want to let him in."

"It's okay," Luke reassured her, "We've got this, why don't you go back to the backyard, have fun with your kids."

Peyton nodded and somewhat reluctantly left. Nathan and Lucas shared a look, and Lucas swung open the door.

"Dan, what are you doing here?" Luke said, sparing no pleasantries.

"I just want to see my family. Please Lucas, you know how much I tried to help when Bailey was taken, how much money I donated to help get her back. I just want to see her, to see that my grandchild is safe. Please, I know I've made mistakes, I know you don't trust me, but please, don't deny me this."Dan spoke directly to Lucas, seemingly ignoring Nathan's presence.

"Why should I do that? Why should I give you anything? God Dan, it's as if you don't understand the gravity of what you've done. It's not as if you merely forgot to send a few birthday cards. You denied my existence my entire childhood. You raised my brother to hate me! You murdered the man who raised me! And now you expect me to expose my children to a murderer? To tell them that they are related to a man who is pure evil?"

"I live every day with the choices I made. I'm not denying any of them, I know what I did, but I'm asking you to be a better man. You know what my biggest mistake was? It was that I never forgave those I was closest to. Holding on to the perceived wrongs, being unwilling to let things go, to give forgiveness to those who hurt me. That was my biggest mistake. That is what led me to become the man I was. Please, don't make that same mistake." Dan hung his head, and turned to leave.

Lucas shared a look with Nathan. He let out a deep breath, and then realized something. If Dan was the one who took Bailey, she would recognize him, she might give them some indication that he had been the one with kidnapped her.

"Dan!" Lucas yelled out, stopping his father in his tracks. "You can have ten minutes."

Dan smiled and started back up the path. Nathan leaned close to Lucas, "what the hell are you doing?"

"Trust me," Lucas said.

As they walked through the house, Lucas stated the rules to his father, "If you say anything to upset my wife, my children, or anyone else here, you'll be asked to leave, regardless of how long you've been here. You touch any of them; I'll break your hands. Got it?"

"Got it." Dan said.

Lucas nodded and opened the door to the backyard. "She's over there with Brooke." Lucas and Nathan led Dan over to the table where Brooke, Bailey, Peyton, and Johnathan were sitting.

Brooke raised an eyebrow in question to Lucas. He nodded his head, trying to show her everything was okay. Lucas took Bailey into his arms and cradled her to his chest. Dan stood an arm's length away, tears shinning in his eyes. Lucas looked between his daughter and his father and realized she didn't know him. There was no fear, no affection, no anything. Bailey couldn't care less about the man standing in front of her.

Dan Scott wasn't the kidnapper.


	10. Kidnapper Caught

Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill

Title: Never Better

Author: ReadingRed

Chapter Ten: Kidnapper Caught

The weeks following Bailey's return were interesting to say the least. The Scott family readjusted to being a family again. Although it had only been a couple of months, life had changed since Bailey had been taken and getting back into their old routine was taking some time. Bailey herself was struggling to readjust. She would wake up at all hours of the night and cry inconsolably. Gone were the days of her sleeping all through the night.

Lucas and Brooke had talked to the best child psychologists in the field and all of them had similar suggestions. Hold her, love her, make sure that she knows that she will not be taken away again, that her parents would always be there for her. Honestly, neither one of them felt that it needed to be said. Their parental instincts told them to do those same things.

Still, it wasn't just becoming a family again that preoccupied the thoughts of the Scott parents. Whoever kidnapped Bailey was still out there.

The video of the ambulance bay showed nothing. The area of the bay that the kidnapper chose to leave Bailey was conveniently in the camera's blind spot. The fingerprints left on the note were smudged beyond recognition. The paper itself was a common brand available at many local stores.

It seemed like every time they caught a break in the case it turned out to only lead to a dead end.

Finally, it was Brooke that gave them the biggest break of all.

Lucas and Brooke were lying in bed, both curled around their young daughter. It had become their habit to keep her in bed with them, both to ease their own fears of her being taken again, and to give her the constant reminder that she was not alone. Brooke gently ran her fingertips over the raised scar on her baby's chest. Thanking God for the defect, as it was the reason the kidnapper brought her to the hospital in the first place. Suddenly it hit her.

"Lucas," Brooke whispered, something in her voice communicated to Luke that it was important.

"Pretty Girl?"

"How did he know about her HCM?" Brooke looked into her husband's eyes intently; both knowing that she was onto something important.

"Luke, we didn't even know that she had HCM. How in the world would he know? The only way I can think of is if he knew that you had it and that it was genetic."

"So you think it might be someone that I know? That would make sense. I can't imagine that any of my friends would have taken her though. Brooke, you know my friends, none of them would have done this." Luke laid his head back down on the pillow. The thought that it was someone that he knew that had done this to his family was crushing him. He didn't want to admit that it could be true, even when his heart told him it must be.

"I would never accuse any of your friend of this. I love Mouth and Skills. I know it wasn't them, but who else have you told? There have to be others who know" Brooke wouldn't give this idea up. She knew she was onto something important.

Lucas thought back to everyone he could remember having that conversation with. It wasn't as if he brought it up with random strangers.

"Well, after collapsing on the court during high school, lots of people who went to school with us know."

"Most of them have moved to different areas though. After college few of our classmates have returned. I just don't think it was anyone who we went to school with. People would have noticed if someone who had graduated with us came back and then left just as suddenly." Something told Brooke it wasn't anyone they went to school with. She couldn't put her finger on it exactly but it just didn't feel right to her.

"Well, I have a conversation with all of my players about taking care of themselves, playing clean and playing safe. I tell them the story about Nathan juicing up and I tell them about me playing even when I knew that it could hurt me. All of my players know that I have HCM." Luke stopped, his heart broke at the thought of any of the young men he had coached hurting his family in this way.

"Brooke, it could have been one of my boys."

"Luke, we need to call the police and let them know. They can question the boys who have played for the Ravens the past few years." Brooke reached over Bailey and took Luke's hand.

"Does anyone come to mind? Anyone who you a particularly difficult relationship with?" She knew the question would be hard for him to hear, but if it meant that they found the person who stole her baby, she was willing to ask even the most difficult of questions.

"Brooke, I think I may know who did it. I don't think it's someone who hates me. Call the police. I have the name."

In the end Brooke had been right. The note, and the kidnapper's knowledge of Luke's HCM, had been his undoing.

The kidnapper had been a player on the Ravens from years ago. Tommy Reilly had been on the team the year that Brooke and the kids had come to live with Lucas. Tommy had a rough home life. His father had walked out on him and his mother when he was young and his mother had died two years after he graduated. Tommy had continued to come to the Ravens games even after he graduated. He stuck out to Luke because he would, without fail, find Luke after each game and ask about the family. To Luke it had just seemed like the kid was trying to brownnose his way into a job. After hearing Brooke's suspicion, it all fell into place and Tommy's interest in his family began to look a bit different.

The police had followed the Scott's lead and decided to look into Tommy Reilly. It had been simple enough to go by his apartment. Once they were there they found plenty of evidence that a baby had been living in the man's small quarters.

After just a few minutes of questioning, Tommy had admitted to everything saying that he had only wanted to have a family.

Knowing that the kidnapper had been caught and that he would never be able to come after one of their children again was the spark that the Scott's needed to truly move on. Sure, they would have their ups and downs but ultimately, they were a family and nothing would be able to tear them apart.


End file.
